The test

I shot from 10 meters off a sandbag rest that has no influence over this pistol because it is a pneumatic. I shot 5-shot groups because a target gun usually puts them so close together that 10 are hard to see.

The trigger

In Part 3 I tuned and adjusted the trigger on this pistol and I nailed it! This is the nicest Gamo Compact (the base gun) trigger I have ever used and I think my trick with relieving the wood around the adjustment screw is the difference. I could shoot a trigger like this in competition!

Sight-in

I sighted-in with RWS R10 Match Pistol pellets for no special reason. The first shot hit the target low but the shot sounded weak. I should have fired a second round. Instead I adjusted the rear sight up considerably to compensate. Shots 2 and 3 did not print on the paper, though my ear told me they went into the pellet trap. I knew I must have gone too high, so for shot 4 I dialed the rear sight back down and still hit high.

More down elevation and shot 5 was almost a pinwheel! Good enough; I will count that as the first shot of the group.

RWS R10 Match Pistol pellets

Four more shots completed the first group that measures 0.476-inches between centers. This group is slightly low and to the left of center, and if I was to choose this pellet, the sight would have to be adjusted for it.

The V10 pistol put 5 RWS R10 Pistol pellets into 0.476-inches at 10 meters. This is a very good group for this pistol!

I never adjusted the sights again, after this group. I just wanted to see the accuracy potential. If one pellet stands out, that is the one worth spending the time to adjust the sights.

Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets

Next up were some of the pure tin Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets. Usually these are among the best, if not the absolute best (most accurate) pellets in any airgun. But not in this one! Five Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets went into a 0.957-inch group at 10 meters. It’s the largest group of the test.

Five Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets went into 0.957-inches at 10 meters. This is not the pellet for this pistol.

Strange sound

I will say this about the Sig pellets. I detected a strange sound every time the gun fired them. It was almost as though the gun was opening the valve late or something. That could have a lot to do with the group size. I kept my eye on it for the remainder of this test, though it never happened again.

RWS Meisterkugeln

I tried RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle pellets next for no particular reason. They are probably too heavy for this pistol, but I was curious. The group dropped significantly and shifted slightly to the right. Five Meisterkugeln Rifle pellets went into 0.646-inches at 10 meters — BUT! On shot 4 the gun fired before I was ready. I didn’t have the sights aligned to my eye so I couldn’t tell if it was thrown or not. And I notice that one pellet is apart from the other 4 that are in just 0.366-inches. This would be a pellet to test further if the pistol was mine.

Five RWS Meisterkugeln Rifle pellets made this 0.646-inch group at 10 meters.

H&N Finale Match Light

I tried 5 H&N Finale Match Light pellets next. I expected them to shoot about as good as the R10s but they didn’t. Five landed in a vertical group that measures 0.762-inches between centers at 10 meters. It’s the second-largest group of the test. I see no reason to pursue this pellet any farther.

H&N Finale Match Light pellets are not for this pistol.

I was going to stop at 4 pellets, but I was curious, so I tried one more — the Chinese Qiang Yaun Olympic pellet. These are even more expensive ($42.48/500) than the Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets, but they sometimes are the best in a particular airgun.

Qiang Yuan pellet

This pellet put 5 in 0.545-inches at 10 meters. That was the second best of this test and certainly worth further investigation. Look at how round this group is.

Five Qiang Yuan Olympic pellets went into 0.545-inches at 10 meters.

Summary

The V10 pistol is a great replacement for the IZH-46M we can’t get. After tuning the trigger on this one I have to say that it is almost the equal of that venerated Russian pistol, plus the gun is a lot lighter, so more people can shoot it.

If you wondered, wonder no longer. The Air Venturi V10 target pistol is a good one.

32 thoughts on “Air Venturi Match pistol: Part 4”

B.B.,
For the price range of this pistol, that is impressive accuracy!
It costs a lot less than I spent to turn my PA Crosman 1377 into a super shooter.
I should have just waited for this gun…but patience has never been my strong suit (just ask my wife! =>).

I shot my friend’s IZH-46M a lot; it was cool, but this looks to have similar accuracy in a more stylish pistol
(…please don’t flame me; that’s just my personal taste; I realize accuracy counts over style).

No, really I understand. I personally have always liked the looks of my Izzy. To me it is almost pure form follows function. No consideration for aesthetics has been given to the design. That is true of many of the air rifles I have collected. Their beauty lies in their simplicity and functionality.

RR,
“…form follow function.” I totally get that.
And especially this, “Their beauty lies in their simplicity and functionality.”
And I’ll be the first to say those Izzys are scary accurate.
We shot my friend’s Izzy on an indoor range (i.e. no wind)
and it as impressive…more so in his hand than in mine. =>
May RRHFWA be blessed with many more beauties,
dave

In truth, not much of this pistol was given over to aesthetics, far less than many. As I have said below and elsewhere, I myself would really like to have one of these and I would seriously recommend that anyone who takes their plinking seriously to add one of these to their collection. They would probably find that their other air pistols would start collecting dust.

There is a serious risk involved in doing such. I own only one air pistol. The reason for this is I cannot afford better. I have owned a Webley Tempest, a Daisy 717 and a Crosman CO2 pistol in the past, but none have measured up to my Izzy.

I hope to add one or two antique air pistols to my meager collection and I am talking to a friend about his FWB 100, but my Izzy is going nowhere, except maybe to my grandson.

Since you didn’t mention any strange vibration with the Sig Alloy pellets can you discount the slamming of the piston as the source of the sound? Or the Sig pellets might be a tight fit in the barrel causing a delay of the piston to reach the end of the chamber?

An Edge is a fine target rifle! I tested one many years ago when they first came out and I have had a hankering for one ever since. I think they are now quite refined, though I haven’t had a chance to shoot one in years.

Right now mine is a little bit more refined than stock. You may remember pulling the trigger on it a while back at the Roanoke Airgun Show. I have also added some baffles to the end tube and it is super quiet. Another little addition I have done is Lloyd made me a piece to add between the valve and the regulator, increasing the volume of the regulated air. It is shooting close to 12 FPE right now.

What is really neat is all of these modifications can be removed and return it to stock if I desire.

Did Lloyd base the volume of the Plenum Chamber on the basis of total valve (if NOT part of the total regulated pressurized Mass of air/gas) TP and barrel volume? Hope that makes sense!

For education of fellow readers who might not be familiar with the term Plenum Chamber:

A Plenum Chamber is a pressurised vessel containing a gas (typically air) at positive pressure (pressure higher than surroundings). One function of the plenum is to equalise pressure for more even distribution, because of irregular supply (Regulator creep) or demand (Valve instability.)
A Plenum Chamber can also work as an acoustic silencer device.

I do not remember exactly what he based the volume on. If I am not mistaken it was to increase the power from around 5-6 FPE to around 12 FPE with the standard 12 inch barrel. It is quite successful at that. The down side is the shot count went from over 100 down to about 25 before it comes off of the regulator.

I have been wanting to get an 18 inch barrel to see if the performance rises more.

I keep on looking at the AirForce products and am sort of half watching for a second-hand deal for a Condor in .22 or .25 caliber. I like that they are light weight, tuneable and powerful. I could get used to the design but the main deal-breaker is that it is not regulated. The line of sight over the bore is it higher than I prefer and they are single shots. I have the .22 and .25 bases well covered so it would have to be an exceptional deal before I would get a Condor.

Another point regarding the P2 (to me the HW75) is that it is slightly more pleasant to cock – the overlever doesn’t snap shut at the end of the compression stroke anywhere near as much as the P2 (HW40) or the Gamo overlever pistols.
I’m assuming of course that this is inherent to the gun – the position of the three pivot points – and not just a matter of tolerances.

The Air Force line has had my interest from the start. Is there a (reason) that they have not made a repeater model in the Edge, Talon and Condor lines? Is the single shot method something you see them staying with?

I know the pros and cons with regards to single shot trays VS magazines. There is proponents in both camps, with the majority landing in the tray camp (for accuracy sakes) and a majority also landing in the magazine camp (for convenience sakes).

They have labored for many years to come up with a repeating version of their rifles that works, and they haven’t found it. They have done it but each mod was full of kluges. They aren’t going to do that.

I sense they have a repeater behind the curtain, but we will have to wait and see.

fyi, just got Pyramyd email that SIG Sauer 22cal w/ wood stock is in stock. Website quotes both wood and synth as weighing 8.5lbs. No scope bundled currently. 200count tins of SIG pellets in 10.03grain & 12.35grain are in stock. I’m inclined to wait on the synthetic stock in hopes it will be a pound or so lighter. Later a wood stock should be available if i want to try that out. Waiting for a bundled scope…that’s going to require some intestinal fortitude. 🙂